The Night Without Stars
by Drizzt1138
Summary: What happens when the characters of Star Wars get their hands on power rings? The match-ups may not be as you expect! Rated T for mild violence. Please rate and review! (Note: if you are confused about any of the content or choices I made, please send me a PM so I can clear it up! Enjoy!)
1. Chapter 1

The Night Without Stars

A Green Lantern- Star Wars crossover

_For Shan'ika, from your Freshie_

_Ni kar'tayli gar darasuum_

In the chaos of the Blackest Night, no one noticed that all eight of the central power batteries produced an extra power ring. Each of these power rings hurled toward the same point in space; a wormhole. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet and black rings, all going in at the same point, where they vanished out of our galaxy, moving through space and time to another…

* * *

The red ring headed for the planet Hoth.

Princess Leia Organa was studying star charts and battle plans when it burned through the snow and ice, bearing her a message. _Leia Organa of Alderaan. You are the last of your people. You have great rage in your heart over the death of your planet. _The ring slipped itself onto her finger before she could even react, stopping her heart. _Welcome to the Red Lantern Corps. _

The ring replaced the blood in her veins with fire. It did the job her heart could no longer do, pumping the lava-like fluid through her body. She awoke, but she did not want to fight the ring.

She wanted to kill.

* * *

The orange ring found it's way to the Imperial fleet in orbit around Hoth.

Darth Vader was in his personal meditation chamber when an alert came in from the bridge. He had sensed something was wrong, but he had no idea what, and the voice coming in over the comlink didn't really help anything. "Lord Vader, there is a unidentified object coming towards us- wait it just made contact- there is a hull breach and extensive internal damage- it appears to be headed for your position-" The voice cut off as the orange ring flew straight through the wall of the chamber, destroying the comlink.

_Anakin Skywalker of Tatooine. You wish to control the galaxy. You killed your wife, turned on your Order, and destroyed many lives out of jealousy and lust for power. _Vader's scarred eyes widened at this message, but the ring was on his finger before he could strike out at it. _You are the new Agent Orange._

Vader felt the power coursing through him and smiled inside his armor.

* * *

The yellow ring entered Coruscant's atmosphere.

Emperor Palpatine sensed it long before it came. He knew something in the galaxy had shifted dramatically, but it was unclear what exactly it was. He did know, however, that it could pose a threat… but it could also be a powerful tool.

The yellow ring hurled into his office, shattering the window behind him and stopping abruptly in the air in front of him. _Palpatine of Naboo. You inspire fear in the hearts of countless millions. You wield it as a tool, and skillfully. _Palpatine sensed that this ring was fear, and as it had stated, he could use it as a tool. The Emperor held out his hand. _Welcome to the Sinestro Corps. _

As the golden power of fear flowed around him, Palpatine knew his senses had not failed him.

* * *

The green ring went towards Dagobah.

Yoda had also had a premonition of the events to come. He knew that something dangerous was coming. And he knew that the green ring would help him combat it. _Yoda. You have had the will to keep going, even after all your comrades died. You either do something, or you do not. You have been chosen to join the corps. Do you accept this honor? _Yoda waited, motionless, deep in thought. Then he nodded, and the ring slipped onto his finger. _Welcome to the Green Lantern Corps._

His tunic turned green and black, the symbol of the green lanterns emblazoned on his chest. His feet lifted off the ground, and he quickly learned how to control his motions while in the air. It was then that he had the vision. He saw the Hoth system; there were colored lights playing along its surface, clashing with each other as if fighting. Then a shadow passed over the planet's surface, and the lights went out.

"Ring, take me to the Hoth system can you?" The ring glowed a little brighter as it allowed him to fly above the treetops and into space. Yoda had not smiled much since the Jedi Purge, but the feeling of freedom the ring gave him as he flew unaided through space made a huge grin spread across his face.

* * *

The blue and indigo rings took almost the same path as the red ring, but with a difference of less than a mile.

Luke and Han were in the Tauntaun stables of Echo Base when the twin streaks of color shot into the room. The beasts of burden reared at their sudden appearance, and the two men reached for their blasters, but were stopped from un-holstering them by the soothing voices that the rings addressed them with.

_Luke Skywalker of Tatooine. You have given great hope to the Rebel Alliance. You are the last hope for the galaxy. Will you continue to spread this hope? _Luke stared, wide-eyed, and slowly nodded. The ring flew onto his finger. _Welcome to the Blue Lantern Corps._

A blinding, blue-white light shone over his body. When it faded, he was wearing a blue tunic like the one he wore on Tatooine. On the chest it had the same symbol that was on the ring around his finger.

_Han Solo of Corellia. You saved a stranger, at the cost of your career and your livelihood. While you do not always show it, you care greatly for those around you and never abandon someone you think is worth saving. Do you wish to continue sacrificing yourself for others? _Han numbly nodded, and accepted the ring. _Welcome to the Indigo Tribe._

A staff made of what looked like wood materialized in his hand. His clothing flashed with purple light, and even as it faded it seemed to stay behind on his clothes, which also now sported strange markings and what looked like writing.

The two looked at each other in shock. They were even more shocked when the little green alien burst in through the ceiling of Echo Base. "…Luke, do you have any idea what's going on?" Han asked. Luke shook his head.

The alien spoke up. "Yoda, I am. Come with me, you must. A friend in trouble, you have."

The two looked at each other, and then realized what he was talking about. "Leia!" The three bolted out of the room and towards the main base, hoping they were not too late.

* * *

The violet ring took a similar path to that of the red one, but it wasn't quite as fast.

As they ran down the hall, Yoda explained the situation, who he was and what was going on. His own ring had told him what was going on and how they could each use their rings. Han and Luke would not have believed any of it, except there was proof on their fingers and flying along next to them.

Yoda told them about the seven emotions of the spectrum, and how the ring had come to him. He did not know why it had come, nor was it able- or willing- to tell him. But he did know that there was great danger nearby.

He did not tell Luke that he was one of the last surviving Jedi. That could wait until after the crisis at hand.

They entered the planning room and stopped dead in their tracks. Yoda readied his ring, beginning to weave a construct to hold the monster in front of them. Han and Luke just stared.

Leia's outfit had stayed the same in terms of its general form, but otherwise it was unrecognizable. It was blood red, torn in places, and emblazoned with the same symbol on the ruby-colored ring around her finger. Her hair was no longer braided, but instead flowed wildly around her head as she charged towards them. Her mouth was open, dripping the red, lava-like fluid that filled her veins. She let out a roar of fury as she lunged towards them.

It was then that Yoda finished the wall between them. Leia crashed into the barrier, clawing and flailing, her face contorted in hate. Luke tried to calm her down, but it wasn't working. Han just stood there, almost overwhelmed by seeing this beautiful woman torn apart by her own rage. And it was then that he realized she was beautiful, that he loved this woman he had only met months ago. He had to lean on his staff while Luke continued to try and sooth her.

"Leia, it's us! We're your friends! It'll be ok… _all will be well!_" On the last words his ring let out a blue light that shone through the barrier Yoda had made, enveloping Leia. When it hit her, she clamed slightly, her eyes widening with recognition.

"Luke… Han… I ca- caa—ki-kill… kill!" And then the mask was back on, she was a monster again, and Yoda grunted with the effort of keeping her back, even with the power boost he derived from Luke's ring. Just when Luke thought they would have to strike her down, another ring came through the hole the red one had left in the ceiling.

_Leia Organa of Alderaan. You have great rage in your heart. But there is also great love. Love for your planet. Love for your friends. Love for your brother. _The ring slipped onto her finger, shattering the red one. _Welcome to the Star Sapphires._

She was shrouded by a blast of violet light. When it faded, she was in completely different raiment, this one the color of a rose and with a star-like symbol on the skirts that hung loosely around her legs. Han and Luke did some more staring, and this time Yoda joined them for a bit. Then Leia toppled to the ground, spurring them into action.

"What's wrong with her?" Luke asked. His ring answered for him, performing a short scan. _Subject is in cardiac arrest and has sustained substantial tissue damage consisting of 2__nd__ degree burns throughout the cardiovascular system. _He almost fell to his knees at this response, but instead tried to use his ring to heal her. "Han! Yoda! Try and help me out here!"

"Luke… I think we have other problems right now…" Luke turned around to see what Han was talking about. What he saw was not encouraging.

The hole in the ceiling where the two rings had come through was being torn away by an orange construct, a giant pair of gloved hands. But this did not scare him quite as much as what came through the hole they left.

Darth Vader. The new Agent Orange.

* * *

The bearer of the black ring was to be of a different kind entirely. While the others flew off to their bearers, the black ring stayed near the wormhole.

Eventually, it constructed its own bearer. But it did not do this on its own.

The ashes of Darth Plagueis found their way to the ring, swirling around it and forming a body not unlike the one they had previously been part of. _Hego Damask of Mygeeto. _The ashes were now falling into place, the form of the Sith Lord forming around the ring. _RISE._

* * *

Han and Luke stared in horror at this figure that had come to represent the very essence of death and destruction, his power increased tenfold by the ring. His armor was now detailed with orange markings like flames or spikes, and the controls for the life-support system had been replaced by the symbol that was displayed on the face of his ring. Yoda, however, kept his wits about him. "Fear you, we do not, Vader. Outnumbered you are."

Darth Vader held his ground. "What makes you think I would ever be outnumbered?" The constructs appeared around him like flames, orange facsimiles of dozens upon dozens of Imperial troopers, officers and pilots. "The Empire is MINE. And now I will use it to destroy the Jedi completely, beyond all hope of reconstruction."

The constructs started moving towards them. Yoda started weaving his own constructs, swamp creatures and Jedi knights, to battle those Vader had produced. Han and Luke let loose blasts of energy from their own rings, trying to help the former Jedi as best they could and protect Leia as best they could.

And then things went from bad to worse. A bolt of yellow lightning struck Yoda, throwing him into the wall and leaving him lying on the ground. Luke and Han turned to see a sight that made their guts fall through the floor.

The Emperor was floating in the hole in the ceiling, his yellow and black robes whipping in the cold wind. "Master Yoda, what a pleasant surprise. I could have sworn I already killed you, but I wouldn't mind doing it again." He turned to Vader. "You know, I could have sworn I heard you say the Empire was yours. Now how would you have gotten a silly idea like that in your head?"

Vader seethed with anger. "You're no longer the one in power. With this ring, everything you've gained will be mine. I will have all the power, the entire galaxy; I'll find a way to bring Padme back!"

The Emperor laughed aloud, an unsettling cackle that assaulted the ears as much as the freezing cold. "Do you really believe that? You poor, deluded thing. She's dead, unlike me. You will never rule the Empire until I am gone, which is not for a long while if I have anything to do with it. As for your precious wife, the dead do not come back from the grave, no matter what that ring told you."

The infernal laughter grew even louder as Palpatine sensed dread and despair taking root in his apprentice's heart. But then the Force gave him a different emotion: fear. Even as he fed off it, he realized it did not come from his presence but another. He turned around. The harbinger of fear became afraid.

"Oh really, my foolish apprentice? Then why do I stand before you now?" No one but Palpatine recognized the corpse talking to him, but that did not keep them from shrinking away in fear. The fact that the undead face staring him down was familiar was no comfort to the Emperor.

He tried to keep his composure, but didn't entirely succeed. "Well what a strange turn of events. So many people I had thought dead, coming to confront me. It looks as though the Force is trying to prove me wrong, Lord Vader." Despite his best efforts, the terror in his voice was clear as day.

The black-robed corpse spoke up again. "Really, Palpatine, I thought you would have been elated to see me. I've finally done it! I've finally discovered the secret to immortal, invincible, never-ending life!"

It was around then that Darth Vader was able to piece together the origin of this reanimated monster in front of them. "You're Darth Plagueis the Wise, aren't you? And… he was your master, wasn't he, Palpatine? But you killed him…"

The Emperor turned from his former master to look at his current apprentice, although when he spoke it seemed as though it was more to himself than anyone else. "…I did… and yet here he is… no matter. I did it once. I can get rid of him again." With that, he turned back and began creating a construct, a set of large golden spikes. Thrusting his hand forward, he sent the spikes hurling into Plagueis' reanimated corpse.

The elder Sith Lord did nothing to stop the attack or dodge. In fact, he laughed, a dry, reedy sound that set Palpatine on edge. "Nicely done, my apprentice. Now let me show you what these rings can really do." With that he held up his hand, releasing a beam of necrotic energy towards the Emperor, shattering the spikes and sending him flying into the wall.

Vader growled and turned his constructs upon the undead Sith Lord. Plagueis narrowed his eyes, almost looking as though he was enjoying himself as he used the force to let out a massive shockwave that blew back both the constructs and their creator. With a deathly air about him, the ancient Muun stalked toward the fallen cyborg.

* * *

Meanwhile, Luke and Han worked frantically to heal Leia.

"Nothing's working, why is nothing working?" Luke yelled, panic seeping into his voice.

"There's too much tissue damage… you can't heal all that on your own… but maybe you can get some help!" As Han said this, his staff glowed with the same blue light as that of Luke's ring, as did his tattoos. Their light washed over Leia, closing her wounds and restarting her heart. With a gasp, she started breathing again, opening her eyes.

"What's going on… why… what's happening…?" She tried to get up, but Han guided her back down.

"No time to explain. All you need to know is that we need to get out of here or we're all gonna fry!"

"No… stand and fight we must…" Yoda got to his feet, moving over to where the three friends had gathered. "This new enemy… defeat him, we must…"

They stared at him incredulously for a few seconds. "Are you suggesting we fight with Vader and the Emperor- against that thing? This is crazy, but I'm not at the point of suicide," Han said.

Luke was hesitant to agree with his brash friend. "No… Yoda's right, if we just leave this thing, it will come back to haunt us. I say we take it out."

Leia looked around herself, just seeming to notice the battle taking place on the other side of the room. A shadow passed over her face. "I don't really know what's going on here… but from the looks of it… we have no choice but to end this quickly. I'm with Luke."

Han just sat for a bit, then sighed. "Fine. I guess I'm outvoted." He used his staff to stand up, smiling down at them. "If you're going to make a stand or whatever… I'll do it with you."

* * *

Darth Plagueis nimbly dodged another of Vader's constructs. Palpatine had gotten up and was weaving constructs of his own, but they weren't having much more effect than those of his apprentice. The husk was almost laughing at how easy it was to toy with them.

The Emperor finally got an effective shot in, sending out a blast of golden light that blew off his old master's arm. A smirk spread across his face, but it quickly disappeared as he noticed that Plagueis didn't seem too concerned with this new development. He almost collapsed entirely from the shock of seeing the pieces turn to ash. The ash swirled into a cloud, re-forming around the stump to make a new limb in place of the missing one.

Plagueis used this shock to his advantage, creating a blade with his ring and bearing down on his old apprentice. Palpatine created his own blade, bringing his yellow blade up to block the black one that was being used to strike out at him. They traded blows, frantically swinging their blades, and it quickly became clear to both combatants that the Emperor would not last much longer against this onslaught.

Suddenly a beam of blue and green light flew towards Plagueis. He quickly dodged out of the way, but the spear of light still clipped his cheek, tearing the flesh. To the surprise of all three Sith, the wound did not heal as the other had.

The undead Muun whipped around to face the source of the energy. He almost laughed when he saw it. "This is your back-up, Palpatine? An aging Jedi and some children? I though you to be far more resourceful than this, but I suppose I was wrong." He sent a beam of necrotic energy towards the new group before him, causing them to scatter slightly.

The Emperor didn't bother to answer Plagueis' query, instead attempting to catch him off guard while he was distracted. Palpatine lunged forward, bringing his blade down to cleave the black lantern's skull. Unfortunately this move was obviously anticipated. The husk whirled around, tattered robes spinning and blade coming to bear, easily blocking the strike.

Vader also decided to take this opportunity. As his master was locked in combat with the undead Sith, he started preparing new constructs to battle with. As he did this, he glanced over at the other group. He slowed a bit as he realized that they were making a plan.

Plagueis gathered his strength, using his blade to push his former apprentice back several feet. The Sith Lord growled, gathering his own energy into a beam he fired at Plagueis. At the same time, Vader, Yoda, and the three young rebels let out beams of their own. Six beams of light all hit the black lantern at once, burning away his flesh. Palpatine's eyes widened as he realized what was happening, but for the sake of winning the battle he continued to pour energy into his target. The withered corpse let out a feral howl as the light caused his very essence to dissolve.

* * *

When there was nothing left of the monster, the six lanterns stopped firing. They stood warily, watching to see who would make the next move.

Finally the Emperor spoke up. "I think that, due to the present circumstances, we should leave each other to go our separate ways. Would you agree, Master Yoda?"

Yoda was fairly certain that Palpatine was merely gambling for time, seeking to fight another day. Unfortunately his group was in a similar position. Leia hadn't recovered entirely, and Luke and Han still didn't entirely know how to use their rings effectively. After thinking things over a bit longer, Yoda nodded in agreement.

A small grin spread across the Emperor's face, although it looked more like a grimace. "Come, Lord Vader. We're leaving." He turned to leave, but stopped when he realized his apprentice was not following him.

Darth Vader addressed his master with a resentful tone. "I don't need you any more. Mark my words, someday the Empire will be mine, and no other's. Until then… watch yourself." With that, he turned in place and left.

It was obvious that Palpatine practically had to hold himself down to keep himself from going after his apprentice. Instead, he flew back out of the hole he had arrived through, heading back to Coruscant.

Luke, Han and Leia turned to Yoda. "What will we do now?" Leia asked.

Yoda stared after Palpatine, then turned his gaze towards the spot where Darth Plagueis had been standing just minutes before. "Relight the galaxy, we will."


	2. Chapter 2

2 MONTHS LATER

Luke had learned how to use his ring fairly quickly. Not only in the sense that he had learned how to fly and create constructs, but also how to use it to inspire hope in others. He had learned how to use it to lead others, not only into battle but into the galaxy as a whole, teaching them to help others and shine the light of hope wherever they went. The ring brought out the best in him, and others.

He often spent his days helping people with projects, not just combat operations, but building things and transporting supplies between bases. That was where Leia found him that day; helping some of his fellow rebels with moving an X-wing. She watched as he summoned two large constructs, a man and a woman, to lift the vehicle. They moved it to the other side of the room, set it down gently, and disappeared.

She came up to talk to him after he was finished. "You know  
I've learned a lot about these rings," she said, "And the constructs work best when you work with what you know. Those constructs worked pretty well; how do you know those people? Who were they?"

Luke got a far-off look in his eyes. "They were my Aunt and Uncle. They took me in after my father was killed. My Uncle was a bit rough on me at times, but they both loved me very much. They were killed when Imperial troops raided our homestead just before I met you."

Leia put one hand on his shoulder. "Hey. I know what it's like to loose someone you love. I lost my entire planet to the Empire, and it almost tore me apart. But you have to keep moving, ok?"

Luke smiled at her. "That's what the ring keeps telling me. 'All will be well.' And I believe both of you."

Leia looked down. "There was… something else I wanted to talk to you about. When I got the ring, it told me I had great love for my brother. The thing is, I don't have a brother. Or at least… I don't think I do. I don't know, I'm so confused. And I've been getting these… feelings, like premonitions or something, and I don't think they're coming from the ring."

Luke nodded slowly, taking it all in. "Why don't we talk to Yoda? He seems to know a lot about what's going on here, maybe he has some answers." Leia agreed, so they headed off to find the small Green Lantern.

The first thing Palpatine had done after he had fled the scene of the battle with Plagueis was construct a monument to fear. He used his ring to build a symbol of terror right in the heart of the Imperial Capital. Once he had finished that, he had used the ring to further tighten his grip on the Empire.

Rumors spread quickly, and soon most of the residents of the known galaxy knew of this new power backing the might of the Empire. The Emperor moved from system to system, conquering or obliterating everything in his path. The Empire had been strong before, but now it's power was nigh unstoppable.

The next step was to get revenge on his former apprentice.

"So let me get this straight," Luke said. "Leia is my sister, Vader is my father, and you're a Jedi?!"

"Summed it up pretty well, you have." Yoda said.

Luke almost swooned for a second. Leia came up behind him to make sure he didn't fall. "Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

"Waiting for the right time, I was." Yoda claimed. "Want for you to find out too soon, I did not."

All of a sudden, their rings all started giving them the same notification. _Warning: there is an emotional spectrum conflict in a nearby system. Immediate action is advised. _They all looked at each other, concern quickly spreading throughout the group as the clam-sounding voices their rings projected relayed the message.

"Come on," Leia said. "I'm obviously not the only one thinking that this can only mean the Emperor and Vader are at it again. I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to go join the fight; with luck, maybe I can take out one or both of them for good."

After a long pause, her brother nodded. "I'm with you. Even if he is our father, he's still a threat." With that, the two went off to find Han.

Yoda started to follow them, but as he did, he received a premonition. He sensed that this conflict would bring about another conflict entirely. Not only that, but one far more deadly than itself. And yet, he sensed that he would still have to engage in it. Realizing this, he continued following the two younger Lanterns, hoping that it would not be the death of them.

"Padme, what's wrong?"

The Emperor was a bit taken aback when he found his former apprentice talking to his constructs. Hiding in the shadows of the Naboo royal tombs, he had witnessed part of the one-sided "conversation" Vader was attempting to carry on with a construct made to look like his deceased wife. Fortunately for him, he saw a way to turn the situation to his advantage, as usual.

"Greetings, Lord Vader. Not that you deserve the title anymore, but I thought maybe I could try to be civil. Regardless of what we call each other, the question remains; why were you talking to yourself?"

Darth Vader turned around and activated his lightsaber. At the same time, the majority of the constructs in the room, mostly Jedi, activated ones of their own. "I'm giving you about five seconds to get out of here," the former Sith lord growled.

Palpatine gave him a false look of concern. "Maybe we won't be so civil, then. But the question still remains…" He let his voice trail off questioningly. Vader remained silent. "You know, I've been learning about the different kinds of rings that came to us lucky few on that fateful night. I haven't learned much as to their purpose, and they seem to originate from some other galaxy with planets I don't recognize. However, one of the more fascinating things I have learned is the different types of constructs each ring makes. For example, the orange ring mostly creates constructs based on people the wearer has killed." He said this last part as he nodded over to the construct modeled after Vader's late wife.

This finally drew him over the edge. With a roar, Vader lunged out at Palpatine, sending his constructs to attack as well.

With a cackle, the Emperor unleashed his own constructs, golden spikes and chains that were intended to restrain and destroy the orange constructs. The first one he targeted was the one furthest towards the back of the group; "Padme".

Vader saw this coming, and regrouped his other constructs around it to protect it. As he did, he continued sprinting forward, swinging his lightsaber out at his former master. The Emperor blocked with his own lightsaber, and then diverted some of his attacking constructs, using them to spear Vader in the back. This time the black-clad figure roared in pain as he fell to his knees, weakened by the wounds the golden spikes were inflicting.

Out in the vast silence of space, the rubble of Alderaan stirred.

Suddenly, a spear of blue light flew through the air and hit Palpatine squarely in the chest. As the force of the blow threw him back, Luke and Leia moved to the aid of their father, while Yoda and Han kept up the attack.

Unfortunately, Vader wasn't in a mood to be reasoned with. "Get away from me," He bellowed. "This moment is mine! This vengeance is supposed to be mine!"

Luke and Leia gave each other a nod, and then employed their rings like they had planned. Luke used his to sooth the madness that the orange ring had inspired in him, while his sister used hers to show him the truth of their relationship. She showed him that he was their father, and that despite the past, they could learn to love him, as they knew that, deep down, they loved him as well.

With the help of the rings, his eyes were truly opened, for the first time in years. He finally felt beyond the rage, and the grief, and the hunger that had consumed him for so long. "My… children…"

They smiled and welcomed him with open arms, able to forgive him out of love and hope for the future. The influence of the orange ring was strong, but so was the influence of their own rings. They could help him fight it.

The battle against Palpatine wasn't going quite as well. They obviously weren't going to get him to join the cause, so instead they were going to have to use force, an option that was proving to be only slightly more effective. They were bombarding the Sith lord with beams of colored light, but he deflected them away easily with a shield construct.

Yoda tried bringing a hammer construct down on his head, but he merely shifted the shield to accommodate the new form of attack. Then he let loose an attack of his own, sending lightening springing out from his fingertips towards his foes. This time it was the two attackers who were sent flying backwards, and now the Emperor was on the attack, sending more of those horrible spikes tearing through the air.

Han used a shield construct of his own to block them. It was far more difficult than it looked, but he held them back. Meanwhile, Yoda tried a Force attack of his own, sending a blast of telekinetic energy towards their opponent.

He saw it coming just before it hit. He let the spikes dissipate as he used a Force blast of his own to deflect Yoda's. Thankfully, this gave Han a chance to fight back. Channeling some of the yellow fear energy he had been gathering from the attack he blocked, he summoned several wraith-like creatures that attacked their target with sharp, bony fingers.

Around the same time, Luke and Leia were able to join the fight, with Vader at their side. While it was still a somewhat uneasy alliance, it was growing stronger by the second, especially due to the fact that they were still working towards essentially the same goal. Not allowing the Emperor a chance to get his wits about him, he summoned a full-size construct shaped as an X-wing and slammed it into the withered and battered Sith lord. He appeared to be beaten.

Suddenly, a black-robed and hooded figure came out from the shadows behind him. As it drew closer to him, the rebels wondered who this new figure was, and whether he was a friend or a foe. They held their rings at the ready, but they were in no way prepared for what happened next.

They watched in horror as the figure knelt down over the fallen Emperor and plunged it's hand into his chest. Having done this, the figure ripped out his heart, and then quickly started biting into it. This was about when they decided to attack the enigma. They moved in to do so, until the thing's hood fell back and revealed it's face. The Black Lantern was rotting and falling apart, but everyone in the room could recognize who it was.

Obi-wan Kenobi.

The ring saw through Obi-wan's eyes, but it still had a single purpose; to feed.

It saw through his eyes, but it did not see light. It saw emotions; rage, avarice, will, hope, compassion, love… and under it all, fear. They all feared him. But for now, the other emotions were stronger, so he decided to work with those first.

"Vader, my old apprentice, is that really you? It feels like so long since you killed me! Not to mention destroying the rest of our order…"

He could see the attack coming from the rage that was growing in the burnt-out heart under all the machinery. "Shut up! You're not him. I killed him, so you're not him!" Vader lashed out with his lightsaber, and Obi-wan created a sword-like construct to block it.

"Luke!" He called out. "Help me! Help me defeat him!" He knew it wouldn't work though. The fear was growing stronger, taking hold. No matter, he would just play along. Any emotion would do.

Suddenly there was a flash of orange and green light and- _connection severed._

"What was that?!" Luke shouted. "What did you guys just do?"

Han moved over to console him. "Calm down, kid. It's alright. It wasn't him."

"I know that," he replied, "but what was it? Why did it… what was it doing?"

Vader was just coherent enough to respond to his son's question. "It was a Black Lantern. Like the one we saw before. As to why it came here, or why it took the form of my old master…" He let out a frustrated, exhausted sigh. "Yoda, what can you tell us about this?"

The former Jedi master closed his eyes, reaching out with the force. "Tell you, not much, can I. Safe here, we are not. Leave quickly, we must. Ring, come from, where did this Black Lantern?"

_A new Black Lantern power battery that has formed around the remains of the planet Alderaan. _Han's eyes widened as he realized the gravity of the situation. "Wait a minute, you want to go to where this thing came from to avoid more of them? That's crazy, even for me!"

"To escape them, I do not want," Yoda said. "Destroy them, we must."

"I'm telling you, this guy is a complete nut," Han said as they flew towards the ruins of Alderaan. "Why are we following him again?"

Luke turned to him in mid-flight. "Han, relax. All will be well."

His friend looked at him with a critical eye. "You keep saying things like that, and every time things end up going down the drain anyway."

"But they always work out in the end, don't they?" Luke said with a nervous smile.

Han's smile was somewhat less convincing. "Yeah, yeah. Point taken."

Suddenly, their attention was wholly taken up by the view ahead of them. Instead of the asteroid field they had been expecting, there was a fully-formed planet, black as coal. On it's surface, they could see a massive, lantern-shaped power battery. They also noticed several small dots moving towards them.

The dots were soon revealed to be more Black Lanterns. The group watched in horror as they drew closer, revealing the faces of their long lost friends and family.

Before Luke were the late Owen and Beru Lars. They came closer, moaning, "Save us, Luke, why didn't you save us?" They lunged for him, but suddenly a wall of violet crystal blocked them from reaching him. He saw that it had come from Leia, who was now attempting to cover the rest of the two Black Lanterns in more of the same crystal.

Yoda came over as well, using the green light from his own ring in conjunction with hers to break off the Black Lantern's connection to their power battery. Luke numbly nodded his thanks, but then his expression turned to shock as he looked over his sister's shoulder.

She whirled around to see her adoptive father behind her, lunging out to grab her. She attempted to put up another barrier, but this time her opponent was ready. The undead Origana smashed through the construct, continuing to fly towards her, arms outstretched.

Now it was the brother's turn to protect his sibling. Almost without thinking, he sent a ray of blue light towards the assailant. Yoda again added his own light to the mix, again destroying the Black Lantern.

A short distance away, Darth Vader was facing his own personal demon. He watched numbly as his wife, Padme, reached out to him, almost as though to embrace him. Overcome by love and avarice, he reached out to her as well.

Luke felt a disturbance in the force. He turned around in place, just in time to see the Black Lantern rip his father's heart out. With a cry of rage and despair, he launched himself at the monster, sending another beam of light towards it. His friends soon followed suit, helping him dispatch the final Black Lantern.

He flew over to his father, tears in his eyes. Sobbing, he held the body of a man that he had never truly known, but also one who had helped bring him into this world. And one who, deep down, had cared about him greatly.

Yoda floated over to him. "Luke. Later, there will be time to grieve. For now, we must end this threat."

Luke looked up at him, wiping the tears from his eyes. "You're right. It's time to end this." He looked to his friends. "It's time to avenge the ones we loved."

With renewed energy, they sped towards the black power battery, throwing everything they had at it. Using every last bit of strength they had in their bodies, they sent spears of light hurling through space. Under their combined might, the battery cracked and crumbled, quickly fading to ash.

As the dust settled, they looked to each other. "That… almost seemed too easy. As though the Black Lantern's power wasn't really centered here."

Luke nodded. "I've been thinking it over, and I bet you're right. These rings don't really feel like they came from our galaxy… something tells me their power source is rooted somewhere else. But as long as they are here… something keeps telling me those things will keep coming back."

Yoda nodded, a sage air about him. "Right, Luke is. Relinquish the rings, we must."

They all nodded solemnly. Understanding that they had to give up their power for the greater good of the galaxy, they commanded their rings to self-destruct, ending the threat.


End file.
